WACO Aviation Lecture Series

Brigadier General Paul Cooper (retired) will present the history of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the upcoming WACO Aviation Lecture Series. The program will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 21st. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States’ formal entry into World War II the next day. What led up to the attack? Why were we surprised? What was our defensive strategy? What was the Japanese attack plan? What type of aircraft did each side have? What were the results of the attack? The presentation will answer many of these questions.

Brigadier General Paul R. Cooper retired in 2002 as commander of the Air Force Reserve’s 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He completed almost 35 years of military service with the United States Air Force and the Air Force Reserve. He is past President of the University of Dayton’s senior Life Long Learning Institute and moderates courses in history and airpower. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Air Force Museum Foundation and conducts frequent tours as a docent. He has held a variety of key staff positions including chief of staff at two numbered air forces and has commanded three different air bases. Recalled to active duty during Operation Desert Storm, he commanded a C-130 unit that deployed to the Middle East for six months. He was later selected to return to extended active duty in 1996 after the Dayton Peace Accords to command Tuzla NATO Air Base in Bosnia. He is a command pilot with over 12,000 flying hours in jet aircraft. His numerous decorations include: the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, 3 Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star, and 3 Air Medals.

All aviation lectures are free and open to the public; donations to WACO Air Museum are gladly accepted. Lectures are held in the Willis Wing of the WACO Air Museum at 1865 South County Road 25A in Troy, OH. Doors open at 6:30 and the program begins at 7 p.m. Programs are scheduled to last one hour with questions to follow. For questions, please call 937-335-9226 or visit www.wacoairmuseum.org.